What “Overstimulation” Really Means

📅 Join us June 16th at 5 PM PT for “Recharge Room: A Soft Space for the Overstimulated” – RSVP here

You’ve probably heard the term overstimulated before.

But what does it really mean to be overstimulated — and why does it feel so heavy, disorienting, or even paralyzing?

Let’s break it down.

🔊 Sensory Overload

Overstimulation often starts with the body.

• Fluorescent lights that feel too bright

• A room that’s too loud, or not loud enough

• Clothing that scratches, tags that itch, or textures that distract

• Constant notification dings

• Too many tabs open — on your browser and in your brain

Sensory processing is like an intake valve for your nervous system. And when too much comes in too fast (with no time to process or recover), that valve gets overwhelmed.

You might feel jumpy, irritable, foggy, or completely frozen. This is a nervous system protection mechanism, not a flaw.

💔 Emotional Saturation

But overstimulation isn’t just about external noise. Sometimes it’s about internal noise, too.

Emotional saturation happens when:

• You’ve held it together for too long

• You’re absorbing others’ emotions without time to metabolize your own

• Your system never gets a break from performing, producing, or managing

• Your capacity is outpaced by your responsibilities

It’s why so many people in burnout or chronic illness feel like (or are told) they’re “too sensitive.” You’re not. You’re saturated. And you deserve support that doesn’t ask you to push through it.

🌀 Why It’s Common with Burnout, Illness, or Trauma

Burnout lowers your cognitive and emotional buffer.
Chronic illness reroutes your body’s resources toward survival.
Trauma changes the way your brain scans for and responds to threats.

So if you feel overstimulated more quickly or more often than others, that makes complete sense. You’re not broken — your nervous system is responding exactly as it should in a world that rarely pauses (and, in many cases, is not designed for our success…thanks, patriarchy and capitalism).

✨ What We’ll Explore Together (June 16)

In our upcoming Recharge Room, we’re holding space for exactly this.

Jayci and I will walk you through:

• A deeper understanding of stress responses and freeze mode

• Why traditional “relaxation” tools don’t work for everyone

• Gentle, sensory-based regulation tools designed for neurodivergent and trauma-impacted systems

• A few moments of actual softness in real time

You’ll leave with practical tools — and, more importantly, the reminder that you don’t have to white-knuckle your way through overwhelm anymore.

📅 RSVP for Recharge Room: A Soft Space for the Overstimulated (June 16 at 5 PM PT) — It’s free, and it’s for you.
👉 Register here

You deserve support that softens, not pressures. We’ll see you soon.

💙
Lauren